Day 58 – the flu

We woke up in Riga shelter to dreary weather. The wind was howling and the fog was settling in to the mountains. Ahead of us were multiple big climbs up Bear Mountain, and then Race Mountain and Mt. Everett once we crossed into Massachusetts. The steep rocky climbs were trying but with the camaraderie of hiking with someone else we still made good time. At the top of Mt. Everett we were at 2,602 ft elevation. It’s a far cry from the 5k and 6k peaks of Roan Mountain and the Smokeys but it’s a sign we are climbing back into the mountains. From here we once again dropped below 1k feet and walked along farm land. This is when I felt my stomach begin to turn. The weather was rainy off and on with sun breaks and we reached Tom Leonard shelter where a short break was in order. The plan was to make it 5 more miles to the next shelter. I would be unable to make this trek. Half a mile from the shelter all symptoms showed themselves and I was so sick I had to lay down in the middle of the trail for 10 minutes while the first of many waves of my body ridding itself of anything inside took place. This continued to happen every 20 min. Until I finally set up my tent to camp with a very high fever and terrible stomach issues. Hopefully this subsides. I told speedstick to go ahead and I’m sure I will catch her once this sickness passes.